Last Modified: Friday, March 15, 2013 at 1:20 p.m.

Photo Galleries

The tugboat and barge struck the liquefied natural gas pipeline in Bayou Perot, about 20 miles northeast of Larose about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Coast Guard officials said today that the barge that was connected to the tug has been removed and is no longer an environmental threat.

The barge was carrying more than 2,200 barrels of crude oil.

As winds shifted today, blowing the plume of smoke in their direction, residents in nearby Lafitte, in Jefferson Parish, were getting worried about their air quality.

"It in fact has started to change, and we are starting to get reports into our eyewitness pollution map as of this morning that people are smelling a very horrible chemical smell and are having some associated respiratory issues because of it," Anna Hrybyk of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade told WWL-TV.

The environmental group met with the Coast Guard to share its findings. The Coast Guard said there is constant air monitoring going on at the site.

Black splotches spotted in the water around the burning vessel initially led the Coast Guard to suspect oil had leaked from the barge. Those black spots were later determined to be ash from the liquefied natural gas line, which has been shut down but continues to burn off remaining gas, Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega said.

On Wednesday, the Coast Guard also reported a one-mile-by-75-foot sheen near the tug and barge.

Chris Boudreaux, director of Lafourche's Office of Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security, said the sheen was non-recoverable and not from the barge itself. He noted the sheen was too thin to stick to recovery equipment and posed no threat.

“The environmental impact is really none,” Boudreaux said. “You could put your hand to it and it doesn't stick to anything.”

As a precaution, about 13,000 feet of containment boom was deployed at the site and in nearby environmentally sensitive waterways and wetlands. Oil skimmers were also dispatched.

The Coast Guard placed temporary flight restrictions Thursday over the airspace near the fire, at and below 5,000 feet within about a one-mile radius. Those restrictions will remain until the smoke no longer poses a flight navigation hazard.

Coast Guard officials are waiting for the fire to burn off to remove the tug so Chevron, the pipeline's owner, can repair the line.

The 47-foot tug Shanon E. Settoon was pushing a 154-foot oil barge when it collided with the pipeline.

Settoon Towing lists its operational headquarters in Houma and its corporate headquarters in Pierre Part. The company directed all inquires to the Coast Guard.

Four men were aboard the vessel when the fire started. Three escaped with minor injuries. The captain has severe burns and was listed in critical condition Wednesday.

Vega said he could not provide information on his identity or condition. Boudreaux had not received word of his condition as of this morning.

Earlier this week, a Coast Guard official told WWL-TV that the boat appeared to be out of the navigation channel and ran over clearly marked white stakes that indicated the pipeline's presence. The pipeline was also marked with signs, including one with an orange light, according to the report.

Boudreaux and Vega declined to comment on the cause and said it was under investigation.

<p>A pipeline fire ignited by a tugboat collision continued to burn this morning in a remote Lafourche Parish waterway.</p><p>The tugboat and barge struck the liquefied natural gas pipeline in Bayou Perot, about 20 miles northeast of Larose about 6 p.m. Tuesday.</p><p>Coast Guard officials said today that the barge that was connected to the tug has been removed and is no longer an environmental threat.</p><p>The barge was carrying more than 2,200 barrels of crude oil. </p><p>As winds shifted today, blowing the plume of smoke in their direction, residents in nearby Lafitte, in Jefferson Parish, were getting worried about their air quality.</p><p>"It in fact has started to change, and we are starting to get reports into our eyewitness pollution map as of this morning that people are smelling a very horrible chemical smell and are having some associated respiratory issues because of it," Anna Hrybyk of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade told WWL-TV.</p><p>The environmental group met with the Coast Guard to share its findings. The Coast Guard said there is constant air monitoring going on at the site.</p><p>Black splotches spotted in the water around the burning vessel initially led the Coast Guard to suspect oil had leaked from the barge. Those black spots were later determined to be ash from the liquefied natural gas line, which has been shut down but continues to burn off remaining gas, Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega said.</p><p>On Wednesday, the Coast Guard also reported a one-mile-by-75-foot sheen near the tug and barge.</p><p>Chris Boudreaux, director of Lafourche's Office of Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security, said the sheen was non-recoverable and not from the barge itself. He noted the sheen was too thin to stick to recovery equipment and posed no threat.</p><p>“The environmental impact is really none,” Boudreaux said. “You could put your hand to it and it doesn't stick to anything.”</p><p>As a precaution, about 13,000 feet of containment boom was deployed at the site and in nearby environmentally sensitive waterways and wetlands. Oil skimmers were also dispatched.</p><p>The Coast Guard placed temporary flight restrictions Thursday over the airspace near the fire, at and below 5,000 feet within about a one-mile radius. Those restrictions will remain until the smoke no longer poses a flight navigation hazard.</p><p>Coast Guard officials are waiting for the fire to burn off to remove the tug so Chevron, the pipeline's owner, can repair the line.</p><p>The 47-foot tug Shanon E. Settoon was pushing a 154-foot oil barge when it collided with the pipeline.</p><p>Settoon Towing lists its operational headquarters in Houma and its corporate headquarters in Pierre Part. The company directed all inquires to the Coast Guard.</p><p>Four men were aboard the vessel when the fire started. Three escaped with minor injuries. The captain has severe burns and was listed in critical condition Wednesday. </p><p>Vega said he could not provide information on his identity or condition. Boudreaux had not received word of his condition as of this morning. </p><p>Earlier this week, a Coast Guard official told WWL-TV that the boat appeared to be out of the navigation channel and ran over clearly marked white stakes that indicated the pipeline's presence. The pipeline was also marked with signs, including one with an orange light, according to the report.</p><p>Boudreaux and Vega declined to comment on the cause and said it was under investigation.</p>